Baseball











The 2021-22 HS Sports Season Comes to a Close
After over 1,000 games and months of boots-on-the-ground reporting, the 2021-2022 high school sports season in New Jersey has come to a close for Jersey Sports Zone. This past scholastic year brought remarkable highs and moments that will live on for years to come. We also saw coaches, players and entire school communities battle through hardships and persevere despite tough times. So, in the best way we know how, we close out the year in our style. Check out the Top 10 Boys Plays of the Year and the Top 10 Girls Plays of the Year. Also, JSZ’s Jay Cook reviews the year in an impactful video essay that spans the highlights of this past year. 2021-22 In The Books: A Video Essay by Jay Cook Top 10 Boys Plays of the Year Top 10 Girls Plays of the Year Jersey Sports Zone is proudly sponsored by RWJ Barnabas Health!

Watch Saturday 6.18 JSZ State Final Baseball Highlights
The 2022 baseball season comes to a thrilling close with four public state finals at Veterans Park in Mercer County. JSZ has all of the highlights and reaction! Middletown North 5 Cranford 4 (8 innings) | Group 3 State Final The Lions captured the first state title in program history with a thrilling win over the Cougars. Midd North scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice and an error to walk it off. Andrew Lombardi sparked the Lions (21-10) offense, going 2-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Seton Hall commit Colin Dowlen earned the win on the mound, going seven and a third innings. Shane Van Dam hit a home run for Cranford (25-5) in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the story: JSZ’s coverage of Middletown North is brought to you by Monmouth Medical Center. JSZ’s coverage of Cranford is brought to you by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Howell 9 Hunterdon Central 8 | Group 4 State Final With two of their top pitchers unavailable on the injury list, the Rebels were still able to out-slug and out-duel the Red Devils en route to their first state championship. Howell (25-6) batted against Hunterdon Central (25-5) and came out on top of a seesaw battle for the Group 4 title. Howell got to Hunterdon Central ace Kyle McCoy right after Thomas Strauch clobbered a two-run home run as part of a four-run first inning. Russell Halvorsen put the Rebels in front for good in the fifth inning with a two-run single. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and reaction: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Howell is brought to you by Monmouth Medical Center southern campus in Lakewood. Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Hunterdon Central is brought to you by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerville. Woodstown 6 New Providence 2 | Group 1 State Final The Wolverines complete a historic journey by defeating the Pioneers to bring home its first state title since 1991. Jack Knorr led the way offensively for Woodstown (19-9), going 2-4 with a two-RBI double. Rowan commit Chase Rieger scattered three hits over five innings and allowed one run to pick up the win on the mound. Dean Licari homered in the loss from New Providence (20-9). JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights and reaction: Ramsey vs. Haddon Heights | Group 2 State Final Ramsey defeated Haddon Heights in a 5-2 comeback victory for the Group 2 Championship. After giving up a solo home run to Coastal Carolina commit Caden Bodine in the first, The Rams trailed 2-0 in the third. A throwing error would tie the game in the bottom of the third, Connor O’Hara would drive in two more runs on a double to give Ramsey the lead. Sophomore pitcher Will Kirk recorded a four hit, two-run complete game with 13 strike outs for Ramsey’s first ever Group 2 Title. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights and postgame reaction:

Watch Wednesday 6.15 JSZ State Final Baseball Highlights
The Non-Public state titles were on the line at Veterans Park in Mercer County on Wednesday night. JSZ has complete highlights and interviews from both games! Don Bosco 5 St. Augustine 0 | Non-Public A State Final Rider commit Clayton Poiley and Kentucky commit Caden Dana combined to throw a three-hit shutout, as the Ironmen captured their first state title since 2008. Dana also hit a solo home run in the victory. Virginia commit Kevin Jaxel had an RBI double, while Iona commit A.J. Zollo knocked in a pair of runs for Bosco (24-5). Bryant commit Kyle Neri had a double for the Hermits (27-2) in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel and Jay Cook have the highlights and reaction: Ranney 10 Immaculata 1 | Non-Public B State Final Junior Duke commit AJ Gracia did everything except drive the bus for the Panthers on Wednesday night. Gracia opened the game with a towering lead-off home run and then proceeded to strike out nine batters across five and two-thirds innings of work on the mound. Ranney (26-5) broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning with a single from Jack Tallent. Diego Tavarez and Glen Cantalupo each delivered two-run hits later after that. Immaculata (14-13) fell short of capturing their first Non-Public B title since 1995. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and reaction: JSZ’s state championship baseball coverage is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health.

Ramsey Wins First N1G2 Championship Since 2014
Ramsey 6 Westwood 0 | North 1, Group 2 Final Ramsey claimed their first North 1, Group 2 Championship since 2014 with a 6-0 win over Westwood. The Rams went ahead 5-0 in the second as sophomore Will Kirk had three RBI’s through the first two innings. Kirk would also pitch a four hit, five strike out, complete game shut out. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights and reaction from Ramsey: Thank you to RWJ Barnabas Health for sponsoring our state championship baseball coverage.

Watch Friday 6.10 JSZ Championship Baseball Highlights
It’s sectional championship Friday on the diamond, and JSZ has highlights from six different games! Check back throughout the night as the videos are posted! Rumson-Fair Haven 4 Wall 3 | Group 2 Central Final Charlie Tallman hit a 2-run walk-off single to center to cap an amazing comeback by the Bulldogs to win their first sectional baseball championship in 18 years. Nick Lovarco hit a two-run homer in the 5th to give Wall a 2-1 lead and the Crimson Knights added an insurance run by Gabe Cavazzoni to take a 3-1 lead. RFH was down to its final strike before Aaron Del Tin worked a walk after fouling off seven pitches. From there, Reece Moroney hit an RBI double to make it 3-2 setting the table for Tallman’s heroics. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the incredible finish and post-game reaction from an epic game: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is brought to you by Mario Venancio from Berkshire Hathaway/Fox & Roach Realtors. Cranford 10 Millburn 8 | Group 3 North 2 Final A nine-run outburst over the final two innings was the driving force to the Cougars’ rousing come-from-behind victory for the sectional title. Will Gallagher and Dennis McCaffery each had two-run singles to help Cranford (24-4) erase a 5-1 deficit and steal the lead for good. Millburn (25-6) was led by Copeland Culp and his four-RBI day. Cranford now advances to the state semifinals and will host Ramapo on Monday. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Millburn: Cherokee 2 Kingsway 1 | Group 4 South Final The sixth-seeded Chiefs knocked off the top-seeded Dragons to win their first sectional championship since 2012. Freshman Brett Gable struck out eight to earn the win on the mound, while Grayson Bravo picked up the save. Brandon Petrick knocked in both runs for Cherokee (22-7) with a single in the sixth inning. Colin Gill drove in the lone run of the game for Kingsway (26-5) in the loss. The Chiefs advance to host Howell in the state semifinals next week. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction: St. Augustine 5 CBA 2 | Non-Public A South Final The Hermits captured their sixth straight sectional title with a victory over the Colts. Old Dominion commit Marco Levari struck out nine in six and two thirds innings of work to earn the win on the mound. St. Joseph’s commit Ryan Weingartner and Jordan Serrano each drove in a pair of runs for the Prep (27-1). George Kruse and Gavin Kus each had an RBI double for CBA (18-10) in the loss. St. Augustine will face Don Bosco for the state crown on Wednesday. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction from Richland: Don Bosco 4 Seton Hall Prep 2 | Non-Public A North Final Caden Dana struck out a season-high 11 batters over six innings of work and allowed one earned run to spark the Ironmen to their first sectional title since 2015. The game was tied at 2 going into the fifth inning and Eric Becker broke the game open with an RBI single, scoring Pablo Santos for the go-ahead run for Don Bosco (23-5). Seton Hall Prep (21-7) carried a 2-1 lead into the third inning, but couldn’t hold on. The Ironmen now turn their focus to St. Augustine for the Non-Public A state title game on Wednesday. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Ramsey: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Seton Hall Prep is brought to you by One-on-One with Steve Adubato! Haddon Heights 4 Cedar Creek 3 | Group 2 South Final The third-seeded Garnets bring home a South Jersey title after throwing out the potential game-tying run at the plate on a passed ball. Timmy Shell, Caden Bodine, John DiCastanzo, and Drew Harris each drove in a run during a four-run fifth inning in the win for Haddon Heights (21-7). John McColl and Nate Winterbottom finished with a RBI in the loss for top-seeded Cedar Creek (19-13). Haddon Heights will now face Central champion Rumson-Fair Haven in a Group 2 state semifinal on Monday. JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights and reaction from a wild finish in Egg Harbor City: JSZ’s championship baseball coverage is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health.

Jackson Memorial Wins First Ocean County Title Since 2015
Jackson Memorial 11 Central 2 Jackson Memorial defeated Central 11-2 to capture their first Ocean County Tournament Title in seven years. The Jaguars went ahead 2-1 after the first, Charlie Meglio sent a three run home run over the centerfield wall in the second to make it a 5-1 game. Jackson added five more runs in the fifth. Chris Cartnick went 2-4 with two RBI’s while Charlie Meglio received MVP honors for his 2-3, three run home run performance. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights and postgame reaction: Thank you to RWJ Barnabas Health for sponsoring our championship baseball coverage.

Watch Tuesday 6.7 JSZ State Playoff Baseball Highlights
It was a big day on the diamond with sectional semifinals taking place all over the Garden State. JSZ brings you five great matchups from a busy Tuesday slate. Check back throughout the night has the highlights come in! Cranford 12 Ferris 1 | North 2 Group 3 Semifinal A trio of productive innings plus steady pitching propels the Cougars into the sectional championship later this week. Ryan Jaros, Shane VanDam, Jack Conley and Shea Grady all had multiple RBI days for Cranford (23-4) in their offensive outburst over Ferris (21-7). Sean Woodruff threw a complete game with five strikeouts to keep the Bulldogs at bay. The win now sets up a fascinating sectional final on Friday between Cranford and Millburn, which the Millers won 1-0. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and reaction from Jersey City: CBA 11 St. Joe-Metuchen (6 Innings) | Non-Public A South Semifinal Colin Reilly threw a complete game three-hit shutout and the Colts pounded out 17 hits to earn a spot in the Non-Public A South championship against Saint Augustine Prep. Gavin Kus hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs and Jack Frankovic was stellar going 5-5 with three runs, two stolen bases and an RBI. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights and post-game reaction from Metuchen: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of St. Joe-Metuchen is brought to you by Robert Wood Johnson University in New Brunswick Gloucester Catholic 6 Bishop Eustace 1 | Non-Public B South Semifinal Sophomore Tate DeRias threw five shutout innings to lead the Rams to their fifth straight sectional final appearance. Rhode Island commit Joey Bogart, Tyler Bunting and R.J. Mustaro all drove in runs in the victory for second-seeded GC (21-9). Christian Ovecka drove in the lone run of the game for the third-seeded Crusaders (20-8) in the loss. Gloucester Catholic will travel to top-seeded Ranney to play for the Non-Public B South title. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights from Brooklawn: JSZ’s playoff baseball coverage is brought to you in part by OceanFirst Bank. Colts Neck 4 Steinert 1 | Group 3 Central Semifinal Fifth-seeded Colts Neck advanced to its second straight Central Jersey Group 3 championship game with a 4-1 victory over top-seeded Steinert . The Cougars went ahead 2-0 in the top of the first following an RBI from Dave Cohen and run scored on a fielder’s choice. University of Delaware commit Anthony Gubitosi earned the win on the mound for Colts Neck, allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out six batters. The reigning champion Cougars will take on tenth-seeded Middletown North in the sectional final. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Steinert coverage. Cherokee 2 Shawnee 1 | Group 4 South Semifinal Dylan Cruice came through in the clutch with a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh as the Chiefs took round three with the rival Renegades to reach the sectional title game. Farleigh Dickinson commit Jeremy Cheeseman tossed six strong innings with nine strikeouts in the win for Cherokee (21-7). Rutgers commit Ethan Bowen racked up eight strikeouts over six and one-third innings in the loss for Shawnee (22-7). Cherokee will face top-seed Kingsway on Friday. JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights + reaction from Medford: Coverage of Shawnee is brought to you by Cooper University Health Care. Jersey Sports Zone’s state playoff baseball coverage is made possible by RWJ Barnabas Health.

Ranney scores 10 in the 1st to earn first ever trip to sectional baseball final
There was just one state baseball playoff game in New Jersey on Monday and JSZ was there. Check out all the highlights of Ranney’s big win over Holy Spirit NOW! Ranney 16 Holy Spirit 8 | Non-Public “B” South Semifinal The Panthers hit three homers on the way to a 10-run first inning and outslugged the defending champs to earn the school’s first baseball sectional final berth. AJ Gracia led off the bottom of the first with a homer and Lou Spadafora and Charlie Chropuvka each hit three-run bombs in the first. Chropuvka finished the game 3-3 with four RBI’s. Ranney will face the winner of Bishop Eustace and Gloucester Catholic this Friday. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights from Tinton Falls: Jersey Sports Zone’s state baseball playoff coverage is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health

Watch Friday 6.3 JSZ Playoff Baseball Highlights
The NJ state baseball playoffs heat up as JSZ brings you a pair of great South Jersey quarterfinals. Enjoy the highlights! Delsea 4 Lacey 2 | Group 3 South Quarterfinal The Crusaders erased an early two-run deficit to win their13th straight game, and advance to the sectional semifinals. George Starr turned in a stellar performance in relief, tossing six and two-thirds shutout innings in the win. Konnor Reilly drove in two runs and made the game-ending catch in the win for Delsea (21-5). Carson Gudzak finished with a RBI in the loss for Lacey (12-12). JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights from Franklinville: JSZ’s playoff baseball coverage is brought to you in part by OceanFirst Bank. St. Augustine 4 Notre Dame 3 | Non-Public A South Quarterfinal NJIT commit Holden de Jong threw four shutout innings of relief to help the Hermits sneak past the Irish. Bryant commit Kyle Neri and Penn commit Ryan Taylor each drove in a run in the victory for top-seedec St. Augustine (25-1). Hofstra commit Dylan Palmer had three hits for eighth-seeded Notre Dame (17-7) in the loss. The Prep will now host St. John Vianney in the sectional semifinal round next week. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights from Richland: JSZ’s coverage of Notre Dame is brought to you by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates.

After Two Days and 11 Innings, Clifton Edges Bergen Tech in States
With baseball season comes unpredictable weather. 5-Clifton and 13-Bergen Tech experienced that all too well this week. This North 1 Group 4 first round playoff game was postponed on Wednesday and resumed on Thursday on a brand new field in Lyndhurst. Despite the challenge, the Mustangs pulled through in extra innings to survive and advance in the state playoffs. It took 11 innings, but Clifton (19-5) secured a 3-2 win over Bergen Tech (12-14-1) to punch their ticket to the sectional quarterfinals on Saturday. Bryan Feliciano scored the walk-off run on a wild pitch in the 11th inning to deliver the victory. Feliciano actually scored all three of Clifton’s runs in this game. Jeuriz Polanco took the mound for Clifton from the eighth inning on and threw four scoreless frames with seven strikeouts to earn the win. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and reaction from Breslin Field in Lyndhurst: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Clifton is brought to you by Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville.

CBA gets 6th inning homer, 7th inning defense to advance in state playoffs
On a hot day in Lincroft, CBA and Paul VI brought the intensity in the opening round of the state baseball tournament. JSZ has all the highlights from an intense game! CBA 3 Paul VI 2 | Non-Public “A” South First Round Zaine Toneske broke a 2-2 tie with a leadoff solo homer to left field and Mike Kelly came on in relief of Colin Reilly in the 7th and got out of a jam to give the Colts a 3-2 win and a showdown with rival Red Bank Catholic this Friday in the Non-Public “A” South quarterfinals. CBA scored single runs in the first and fifth innings to take a 2-0 lead before Paul VI tied it on Mike Lucarelli’s steal of home during a failed squeeze attempt. After Toneske went yard, Paul VI had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out in the 7th before the Colts got a double play and a Kelly strikeout to seal the win. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights of a game that had a number of momentum-swinging plays: Jersey Sports Zone’s baseball state playoff coverage is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health

Old Tappan wins Bergen County title for second time in school history
We’ve got Memorial Day baseball from Bergen County as Old Tappan and St. Joe-Montvale went back and forth at Demarest High School. Check out all the highlights and post-game reaction! Old Tappan 9 St. Joe-Montvale 7 | Bergen County Tournament Final Alex Kranzler broke a 6-6 tie with an RBI double down the third base line in the sixth inning and Lou Mosca provided what proved to be the game-winning run with an RBI bunt single to give Old Tappan a second Bergen County championship in school history. James Keating threw five strong innings on the mound and was named the Tournament MVP with Kranzler getting the top pitcher of the tourney. Mosca came on in relief in the seventh and got the final three outs with the tying run at second base. Old Tappan is now 24-4 on the season. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights and interviews from Demarest High School: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of the Bergen County Baseball Tournament is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health

Watch Sunday 5.29 JSZ Championship Baseball Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone brings you a pair of conference championships on Sunday. Nery Rodriguez has the highlights of the GMC title game and Rich Chrampanis takes us to Lakewood for the Shore Conference championship! Red Bank Catholic 5 Jackson Memorial 2 | Shore Conference Tournament Final Matt Scrivanic hit a mammoth 2-run homer to left field to break a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning as the Caseys won their third consecutive Shore Conference Tournament. Alex Stanyek battled through discomfort in his side to throw five innings giving up two runs and striking out nine. Steve Svenson pitched two scoreless innings with five strikeouts to seal the title. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights of an outstanding championship game at from ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of RBC is brought to you by Monmouth Medical Center North Brunswick 4 St. Joseph (Metuchen) 2 | GMC Final North Brunswick (6) claimed their first Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Title with a thrilling 4-2 victory over St. Joseph (Metuchen) (1). Both teams scored a pair of runs in the first to leaves us tied at 2-2 for the duration of the game until the sixth inning when Kyle Tarabokia’s two RBI double gave the Raiders a 4-2 lead late. The story of the afternoon however was the pitching duel taking place between Rutgers commits Andrew Goldan and Zach Konstantinovsky. Konstantinovsky ended the afternoon with two earned runs, three hits allowed and 10 strike outs. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights and postgame reaction from East Brunswick: Thank you to RWJ Barnabas Health for sponsoring both our North Brunswick and St. Joseph Metuchen coverage.

Jack Silver Conquers Cancer, Returns to the Mound for Pascack Hills
After an arduous journey that spanned nearly two years, all Jack Silver wanted was to return to the mound. That return was everything he could have dreamed of, and more. Silver, a senior at Pascack Hills High School, made an inspirational return to the pitcher’s mound on Monday, May 23 when he took to the hill for his first career varsity pitching start. That’s special because silver is a cancer survivor who fought hard to get back to play the game he loves. JSZ’s Jay Cook profiles Jack Silver’s journey: This story was featured on Jersey Sports Zone’s weekly television show, JSZ-TV, this Sunday on WLNY-TV in the New York City market.

Hermits Win Inaugural CAL Tourney Title
St. Augustine 9 Mainland 4 | Cape-Atlantic League Tournament Final The Hermits scored eight runs in the second inning to blow this game wide open early. Bryant commit Kyle Neri, Penn commit Ryan Taylor and Jordan Serrano all drove in two runs apiece in the inning for St. Augustine (23-1). Cohen Cook drove in a pair of runs for the Mustangs (18-6) in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction from Richland: JSZ’s baseball coverage is brought to you in part by OceanFirst Bank.

Watch Tuesday 5.24 JSZ Shore Conference Tournament Baseball Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone brings you highlights and post-game reaction from both Shore Conference Tournament semifinal games from Count Basie Park in Red Bank. The championship is set for this Sunday in Lakewood at the home of the Jersey Shore Blueclaws. Red Bank Catholic 10 Rumson-Fair Haven 0 (6 Innings) Declan Leary pitched six shutout innings and the Caseys erupted for five runs in the sixth inning to return to the championship game to defend its title. Frank and Matt Scrivanic combined to go 5-8 with five runs and two RBI’s with both players making great plays in the field as well to knock out the top seed. Leary allowed just four hits and one walk to improve to 6-2 on the season. He has now pitched 13 shutout innings against Rumson this season. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights of the defending champs impressive effort: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is brought to you by Mario Venancio Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Catholic is brought to you by Monmouth Medical Center Jackson Memorial 7 Donovan Catholic 3 Zach Crotchfelt added another pitching gem to his impressive resumé this season. Crotchfelt, the Auburn commit, struck out 13 batters over six innings of work to pitch Jackson Memorial (18-7) to the title game. Charlie Meglio, Matt Koblos and Aidan O’Donnell each had 2 RBI on the afternoon. Donovan Catholic (16-10) made it to the semifinals as the 22-seed, but fell short against one of the best pitchers in the entire state. The Jags are back in the Shore Conference Tournament final for the first time since 2012. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and reaction: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Jackson Memorial and Donovan Catholic is brought to you by Community Medical Center in Toms River.

Watch Monday 5.23 JSZ Baseball Highlights
County and conference tournament action continues, as JSZ brings you highlights from four great games around the state to begin the new week! Ridge 6 Rutgers Prep 0 | Somerset County Tournament Final Ridge (1) defeated Rutgers Prep (6) 6-0 to raise their first Somerset County Tournament Title since 2011. The game would stay scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Ridge tacked on three runs with two outs, they would do the same in the fourth inning to lead by six. Pitching headlined the evening, junior Connor Byrne allowed just two hits, no earned runs and had 11 strike outs for the Red Devils. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights and postgame reaction: Thank you to RWJ Barnabas for sponsoring both our Ridge and Rutgers Prep coverage. Cranford 12 Dayton 2 (6 Innings) | Union County Tournament Final Ryan Jaros was 3-4 with three runs and four RBI’s to pace the top seed to a dominant performance on the way to the Union County championship. Jaros got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with an RBI single and added a two-run triple in the fifth and one more RBI single in the seventh. Will Gallagher threw six strong innings giving up just two runs and had eight strikeouts while walking no one. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights from Kean University: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Cranford is brought to you by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Mainland 2 Ocean City 1 | Cape-Atlantic League Tournament Semifinal Will Hoover threw a gem, striking out 11 in six innings of work to lead the Mustangs past the rival Red Raiders and into the CAL Tournament title game. Nick Wagner gave third-seeded Mainland (17-5) the lead with an RBI single in the sixth inning. St. John’s commit Tom Finnegan struck out five batters for second-seeded Ocean City (16-7) in the loss. Mainland will face top-seeded St. Augustine for the CAL Tournament championship on Thursday. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights: JSZ’s baseball coverage is brought to you in part by OceanFirst Bank. Pascack Hills 4 Pascack Valley 2 Joe Vernaglia came up clutch with a late two-run single that lifted the Broncos to a win against their crosstown rival. Pascack Valley (13-9-1) led 2-0 early in the game, thanks in part to a solo home run from Jimmy Shea. Pascack Hills (11-9) surged back in front to lead the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to that hit from Vernaglia. Jack Silver drew the start for Hills and allowed one earned run over four innings of work. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Montvale: Jersey Sports Zone’s baseball coverage is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health.

Schild Continues to Deliver for State Champ Middletown South
Ben Schild continues to have a sensational high school career. Watch our feature from JSZ-TV on the Middletown South ace who has a county championship along with his state title from 2021 Middletown South pitcher Ben Schild was on the mound when the Eagles won the 2021 Group 4 state championship. His complete game 2-hitter against Montclair was the exclamation point on an 8-0 sophomore campaign. His junior season is on course for a similar track. Schild is currently 5-0 with a 1.28 ERA striking out 69 and walking just 15. Schild was on the hill when he struck out 11 in Middletown South’s 11-1 win over Wall in the Monmouth County Tournament finals at Brookdale Community College. The Eagles will now turn their attention to defending their Group 4 state title. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis profile Schild on Jersey Sports Zone TV, which airs Sundays at 11:30 am on WLNY-TV (10/55):

Watch Saturday 5.21 JSZ Baseball Highlights
A busy Saturday on the diamond with conference championships makes all the headlines. Watch all of our coverage throughout the day! St. Peter’s Prep 5 Ferris 2 | Hudson County Tournament Championship Nick Rappa pitched the Marauders to their first Hudson County Tournament title since 2018 with a complete game gem in nearly 100 degree weather. Rappa struck out seven batters across seven innings of work, while the St. Peter’s Prep (21-6) offense got going with a three-run second inning. Ferris (19-6) was no-hit for four innings, but struck for two runs in the fifth inning. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and reaction from Miller Stadium in West New York: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of both Ferris and St. Peter’s Prep is made possible by Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City. Seton Hall Prep 15 Bloomfield 0 (5 Innings) | Greater Newark Tournament Championship Seton Hall Prep (4) captured its18th Greater Newark Tournament Title with a dominating 15-0 win over Bloomfield (7). The Pirates had the bats working early, scoring four runs in the first inning, followed by six in the second, and five more in the third. Senior outfielder Matthew Monteleone ended the day 2-2 with four RBI’s while John Cerwisnki pitched a seven-strike out, one-hit shutout. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights and postgame reaction: Thank you to “One on One” with Steve Adubato for sponsoring our Seton Hall Prep coverage. Rumson-Fair Haven 3 St. John Vianney 2 | Shore Conference Tournament Quarterfinal Brian Doherty’s base hit to left gave the Bulldogs a walk-off win in a game that took two days to complete. RFH and SJV played five scoreless innings before fog and rain postponed the game to Saturday morning. Due to rules in the Shore Conference Tournament and no score, the game was reset back to the beginning on Saturday. RFH took a 2-0 lead on an RBI double by Charlie Tallman and a John Bruno solo homer before SJV answered with two runs in the 5th highlighted by an Antonio Kurtz RBI triple. John Goodes went seven innings to pick up the complete-game win. RFH will face rival RBC in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals on Tuesday. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights and post-game reaction from Rumson: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is brought to you by Mario Venancio Cherry Hill East 9 Cedar Creek 7 (10 innings) | Lee Ware Tournament Final The Cougars outlasted the Pirates in 10 innings in the heat to capture the Woodstown Lee Ware Tournament championship. Pete Longo gave East (7-13) the lead for good with a two-RBI single in the 10th. Brett McLaughin had a key outfield assist to deny Cedar Creek a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth. Nate Winterbottom pitched seven scoreless innings of relief for the Pirates (14-11) in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights: JSZ’s baseball coverage is brought to you in part by OceanFirst Bank.

Stanyek fires one-hitter to give RBC spot in Shore Conference semifinals
The defending Shore Conference Tournament champs are in the final four. Watch the highlights of the Caseys quarterfinal win against Wall! Red Bank Catholic 7 Wall 1 | Shore Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Alex Stanyek threw a complete-game one-hitter with eight strikeouts and the Caseys busted open a 1-1 game with six runs in the 5th to move on to the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals. Duke commit Andrew Fischer made his first start giving Wall four quality innings but the Caseys took control of the game in the fifth paced by Frank Scrivanic’s 2-run single and Jack Meyers 2-run single. RBC will face the winner of St. John Vianney and Rumson-Fair Haven in the final four. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights from Red Bank: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Catholic is brought to you by Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch

Final JSZ Game Ball Roundup!
With the regular season coming to a close in the softball world – and baseball soon to follow – Jersey Sports Zone is concluding its last round of RWJ Barnabas Health Game Balls for the 2021-2022 year. Take a look at who had standout games from both North and Central Jersey! Maddie Weir, Lodi Immaculate (North Jersey Softball) Lodi Immaculate’s big hitter Maddie Weir has now won JSZ Game Balls in back to back seasons. This year’s award comes after a monster game on May 10 against Paterson Charter. She went 3-4 with 3 HR and 6 RBI. Weir brought in 45 percent (2,268 votes) to bring home the award. JSZ’s Jay Cook presented Weir with her game ball after practice earlier this week: Aiden Cody, St. John Vianney (Central Jersey Baseball) Aiden Cody has been the Lancers’ staff ace all season long and delivered one of this top performances of the season last week. Cody tossed a complete game one-hitter with 14 K’s to lead St. John Vianney to a 1-0 victory over Manasquan on May 10. He commanded just shy of 40 percent of the vote to bring home the weekly honor. Ryan Rogers, Saint Rose (Central Jersey Baseball) The Saint Rose senior pitcher had a stellar complete-game shutout with 13 strikeouts against Ocean Township to win our JSZ Week 5 Central Jersey Game Ball. We stopped by Saint Rose to give Ryan his Game Ball: Dimitra & Zoe Milonopoulos, Old Bridge (Central Jersey Softball) A little bit of twin magic was at work when the Milonopoulos sisters took the field against East Brunswick on May 11. Dimitra and Zoe combined to go 5-8 at the dish and also collectively knocked in five runs in a 6-0 win. The duo edged out a fellow GMC nominee to win the awards 3,043 total votes. Jersey Sports Zone’s Game Balls are brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health

Hun blanks Hamilton West to win its first Mercer County Tournament title
Hun 6 Hamilton West 0 | Mercer County Tournament Final The Raiders made it a night to remember in Trenton, shutting out the Hornets to bring home the first MCT championship in program history. Tournament MVP Brody Pasieka allowed just one hit over four shutout innings of relief. Michael Chiaravallo finished with 3 RBIs in the win for Hun (20-3). Mark Meara tripled in the loss for Hamilton West (15-7). JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights and reaction from Arm & Hammer Park: JSZ’s coverage of the Mercer County Tournament is made possible by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates.

Watch JSZ 5.18 Championship Baseball Highlights
Jersey Sports Zone brings you a pair of championship games from the diamond. We’ve got the Monmouth County Tournament title game between Wall and Middletown South along with the Diamond Classic finale featuring St. Augustine Prep and Lenape. Middletown South 11 Wall 1 (6 innings) | Monmouth County Tournament Championship Joe Stanzione blasted two homers and Ben Schild struck out 11 to lead the Eagles to a Monmouth County title snapping Wall’s nine-game streak. The Eagles scored in every frame starting with a Schild RBI double in the first and Will Christopher’s RBI double in the second. Stanzione hit towering solo homers in the third and the fourth. Evan Wood hit a two-run single in the 6th to clinch the title for the 17-8 Eagles. JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has the highlights from Brookdale Community College: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Middletown South is brought to you by Monmouth Medical Center. St. Augustine 4 Lenape 2 | Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic Championship The Hermits overcame an early deficit for the second day in a row to win their first Diamond Classic title since 2017. St. Joseph’s commit Ryan Weingartner hit a home run and struck out the side in the seventh inning to earn the save. Old Dominion commit Marco Levari added an RBI double, while Villanova commit C.J. Furey picked up the win for top-seeded St. Augustine (20-1). Dylan Shank had an RBI single for Lenape (15-3) in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction from Pitman: Jersey Sports Zone’s Diamond Classic coverage is brought to you by OceanFirst Bank.

St. Augustine Advances to Diamond Classic Final
St. Augustine 7 Kingsway 4 | Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic Semifinal The Hermits trailed 2-0 early, but knocked off the Dragons for the second time this season to punch a ticket to the Diamond Classic title game. Iona commit Andrew Gaines earned the win on the mound, allowing just one earned run in four innings of relief. Austin Sofran and Bryant commit Kyle Neri each drove in a pair of runs in the win for top-seeded St. Augustine (19-1). Carter Williams drove in three runs for fourth-seeded Kingsway (19-4) in the loss. The Hermits will face seventh-seeded Lenape for the title on Wednesday night in Pitman. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights: JSZ’s baseball coverage is made possible by OceanFirst Bank.